Just a Thought...

As I drove to work this morning on the toll road some idiot who didn't have EZ Pass got in the EZ Pass-only lane at the toll booth, then realized his mistake, then tried to reverse out of the EZ Pass lane, then nearly caused about a dozen accidents and backed up traffic for about 1/2 mile. This led to the following chain of thoughts...

1. I live in a big city with a diverse, itinerant population.
2. Although we have an excellent public transportation system, a large percentage of our population still commutes via automobile.
3. 1 out of every 2 drivers sucks (based on a very scientific poll I conducted on my way to work this morning) - and either talks on the phone, texts on the phone, reads, uses a laptop while driving, or is foreign.
   
4. Almost every state has a vehicular 'points' system wherein drivers are alternately rewarded or punished based on their driving record.
   
5. Stereotyping is incredibly convenient.

Those thoughts in mind, I propose the follow - a color coding system for license plates and/or registration stickers to indicate your driving aptitude. For convenience and interstate coordination I recommend we base this system on the national threat level color codes as surely poor drivers are the greatest threat to this country.

Think about how helpful this would be! Not only would it make driving easier because you could avoid the majority of the knuckleheads on the road, but I'm betting the stigma of having everyone on the road know you're a s$%t driver would force people to hone their skill. On top of that - you could charge the bad drivers higher registration fees to cover the cost of their color coding and maybe even turn a handsome little profit. Everyone is a winner! Let's make this happen, folks...

Oh Boy

In case you haven't seen it yet:

The Trailer for Avatar

This movie is going to be big. I am waiting anxiously.

I Hate You, Pat Forde

I don't know why I still occasionally visit ESPN.com (actually, I do, it's to read TMQ every Tuesday). Anyway, caught the most recent Forde Yard Dash (isn't that clever?) and read this excerpt...

Steve Spurrier (35) and Charlie Weis (36) are supposed to be all about offense, right? Well then, why have their teams failed to score 40 points in a regulation regular-season game since 2006?

Notre Dame's non-40 streak now spans 32 regular-season games, dating to when Brady Quinn was wearing a gold helmet.

Ever heard the phrase statistics can be skewed to show anything? That's been adopted as the ESPN motto. Nevermind the fact that everyone knew Notre Dame has been rebuilding the past two years. Nevermind the fact that Forde conveniently limited this to regular-season games and excluded the 49-point shellacking ND handed to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl last December. What really bothers me is that although ND hasn't scored 40 points this season, they have averaged 30ppg. Call me crazy, but I'll take 30 week-in, week-out over some of these teams that drop half a hundred one week and 13 the next.

Lesson learned here - stick to TMQ and don't wander, because it only makes me angry...

If I Were A Closer...

I actually watched a couple minutes of the ALCS last night and saw Mariano Rivera come in to close out the 9th. When he came in, they played his classic closer music - Enter Sandman by Metallica. Well, classic... yes. Not actually his though. A ton of closers have used that music before and after him. There are also a bunch of other songs that seem to always get used by closers. However, they always seem to stick to that pop-metal genre.



I'm not sure, but I would trace the use of closer theme songs to the movie Major League. When Rick Vaughn came into the game as a converted closer in the big finale, they rocked out to a version of Wild Thing that brought the house down. I'm sure music was played during pitching changes before that, but not customized theme songs. That movie changed it forever.

Anyway, all of this got me thinking. If I were closing out an MLB game in the 9th, what would my music be? There are some requirements. It has to have some kind of unique intro before building up to a powerful chorus. It has to fire up the pitcher and the crowd. It's a bonus if it ticks off the opposing batter. Intimidation is cool too, but not many songs really intimidate. I think it also has to somewhat fit the personality of the pitcher in some way. I'm not really a metal kind of guy. So after much thought...

Stop Whispering
Radiohead
Pablo Honey
Capitol/EMI Records

Fill up the comments. Let me know yours!

More of the Same

Another Notre Dame football Saturday, another game decided on the final series (actually, ND got the ball back after the Brian Smith's interception and ran three plays - you just didn't know this because NBC decided to instead alternate close-ups of Charlie Weis and Dave Shinskie for 2 straight minutes, neglecting to show ND running out the clock in "victory formation"). Unfortunately, ND's schedule that looked so promising, i.e. easy, to start the year doesn't look so promising any more.

With games remaining on the road at 7-1 Pitt and we-have-an-inexplicably-awesome-white-running-back Stanford, the potential for a slip up or, at least, more games going down to the wire is high. Throw in home games with Navy (who still fails to garner any recognition after almost beating Ohio State in Columbus and knocking off ACC contender Wake Forest) and Connecticut (who is now playing with emotion after losing a teammate) and I'm certainly concerned. Looks like the only potential "gimme" is the rare NBC night game on Halloween against Washington State in San Antonio, which I would bet $1000 is only being played at night in order to keep ND students watching the television rather than having awesome Halloween parties.

Win or lose, you can bet NBC is loving this season. The Southern Cal game drew the highest rating for a Notre Dame football game since 2006, and no doubt the nailbiters are drawing viewers - both for and against. Every Saturday night has left me exhausted. If this script plays out at Thanksgiving and sees us eek out a victory over Stanford, I've got two words - pool party!

My Most Recent Pet Peeve

In order to get this off my chest (and also give the boot to the last headline on the blog, ugh) I present my most recent pet peeve:

When watching sports on TV, after any important play, instead of showing the viewers at home a replay, the networks instead have decided to show prolonged close-ups of both head coaches/managers.

Why not show us a replay? I continually resort to having to use my cable box DVR to re-watch the play. I don't care about how the coaches/players feel about a play, just show it to me again, and in 5 different angles!

Sometime I had TV networks.

More Than A Game

It is here. The annual matchup between Notre Dame and USC. I admit, I was having a hard time getting pumped up for this game. I meant to post this early this week but I couldn't bring myself to do it. In my heart of hearts, something just tells me that USC will have no problem covering the 10 point spread the game is sitting at. It's hard to get pumped up for the impending disaster. But as I started to read a buch of articles about the game, I started to get the butterflies. There are so many aspects to this game, that it transcends just a W or L on the schedule. A Notre Dame win could catapault us into elite status for years to come. Conversely, a Notre Dame loss could set the program back 5 years.

The Streak

Yeah, we won 11 straight from 1983 through 1993, but that is long gone from national recollection. We have lost 7 straight, and lost them badly. I want this streak to end. Until we win, we will have to bear the burden of hearing about how USC owns us.

BCS Bowl
We will be favored in every game after this. We have a great shot at 11-1 if we beat USC, and that puts us back into a BCS bowl.

Heisman Trophy
We have given USC its last 3 Heismans. Seriously. Carson Palmer trashing us in the last game of 2002, Matt Leinert repeating this in 2004, and Reggie Bush "pushing" his team to victory in 2005 absolutely pushed these players over the top in winning the award. Now they return the favor. Clausen is near the top of every Heisman watch list, despite getting ZERO preseason publicity. He has earned this with 4 come from behind games (getting outdone in Michigan) and leading the nation in passing. Everyone agrees that an ND win puts Clausen in the clear lead.

Charlie's Future
If I have to hear another sportscaster use the phrase "signature win" when describing Weis' record, I am going to puke. Regardless, Weis is on the hot seat. Anything less than a BCS bowl will cause serious assessment of his future. No USC win, no BCS bowl. It's that simple. If Weis stays, we are loaded with talent and this could be the start of our elite run. If we lose and Weis goes (likely), ND starts over again with a new coaching search and another down stretch that almost always accompanies a new coach. Losing this game and Weis could set us back another 5 years.

Recruiting Windfall
"It is sickening how much talent will be on campus there," Rivals national recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree said. "Not only the No. 1 player in the country, but many No. 1 players at their positions."
Rivals call it a potentially transcendental group of athletes. No less than 24 of the best recruits in the nation will be making visits. Not only seniors signing in February, but juniors too. A good showing by ND and we could land an absolute windfall. According to Rivals, 18 4-star and 5-star players will be on campus. We could be set for a decade if we convince a bunch of these guys.

So what is my prediction? As with all things in life, I don't think this game is as black and white as the arguments I presented above. I think USC wins comfortably. ND puts up a fight, and avoids the blowout loss. Weis does just enough to hang on for another year, and we pull in 3 or 4 recruiting commitments. As for the Heisman - Clausen has no shot even if we blow out USC. Florida will go undefeated and America's Tebowner for Tebow will give him his 2nd statue.

Hole in One!

After over 20 years of frustration, anger, joy, and swearing i finally attained what all golfers dream of, the hole in one. I usually golf by myself, but was lucky enough to hit my first hole in one while paired with three other golfers, Mike, Phil, and Conrad.

As you can see from my scorecard below, my game fell apart a little bit after the old uno, but it was mostly due to a horrific short game mixed with a complete lack of caring how I did after shooting my hole in one.

I did the damage on hole two at Sligo Creek Golf Course. Here is a link to an official scorecard which shows the course layout:

Official Scorecard

I play this course a lot, and usually hit a 9-iron on hole two. I also usually come up a little short with this club selection. Today I decided to go with a light 8-iron. I must admit that I hit a pretty sweet shot. It soared majestically through the air and was going straight at the pin. I saw it roll towards the cup and then disappear. Initially I didn't think it actually went in, and was just happy that I even hit the green, but the other three guys I was paired with all said it went in. I thought I just didn't see it due to a hill or some other obstruction, so I had no plans of celebrating until I walked to the hole. Hole 2 was playing about 135 yards that day, and as I walked closer I realized it did in fact go in. After reaching the hole I picked up my ball and thanked the gallery for cheering me on. I also fixed my ball mark because that is what courteous golfers who hit holes in one do.

Here you can see the scorecard which I made everyone in my group sign:




Here is the ball that traveled so gracefully though the air, hit softly five feet in front of the pin, and rolled gently into the bottom of the cup:



The old Maxfli 2 will certainly be retired and sent off to stud.

My Heart Can't Take This

Could there possibly be a fan in the nation that has had a rougher football season than the Notre Dame grad who lives in Cincinnati and roots for the Bengals? I can't ever remember anything like this. It has been the most exhausting, emotional roller coaster that I have ever endured as a fan. It keeps getting worse, with both teams going into OT this weekend! Don't believe me? Think I'm exaggerating? Think your team can trump my cardiac kids? Check these out. That's 9 games, 8 decided on the last play of the game or in the last minute.








Denver (L 7-12)
Down 6 late in the 4th quarter with the offense doing NOTHING all day, Carson Palmer rallies for a late drive to put Cincy up 7-6 with 38 seconds left. You've all seen the highlights as Brandon Stokley caught a miracle deflection for an 87 yd TD to win it.

Green Bay (W 31-24)
With the game seemingly in hand, Graham kicks a FG with less than 2 minutes left to put the Bengals up 10. The Pack march down the field and use some strategery, kicking a FG and attempting an onside. Kick recovered, but the Bengals hold on.

Pittsburgh (W 23-20)
Down 20-9 in the 4th quarter, the Bengals rally again for a furious comeback. Palmer throws for a TD with 14 seconds left and then they convert the 2 to get some breathing room.

Cleveland (W 23-20 OT)
Looking putrid for 3 quarters, Cincy somehow puts a drive together to take the lead - wait they get the PAT blocked!!! So they go to OT and it takes 14:56 to kick a game-winning FG.












Nevada (W 35-0)
No problems here. The kind of game I like!

Michigan (L 38-34)
Down 31-20 in the 4th, the Irish rally for an amazing comeback to go up 3 with 5 minutes to go after an awesome statue of liberty play for a 2 point conversion. Michigan then drives it down and wins it with a TD and 11 seconds to spare.

Michigan State (W 33-30)
Ali and I witness the pain in person. After a demoralizing run in the late 2nd and early 3rd quarters, ND rights the ship and takes the lead with 5 minutes to go. MSU drives down the field into certain FG range. An open receiver drops the game-winner in the end zone, before McCarthy picks it off on the 12 with under a minute to go.

Purdue (W 24-21)
A 4th quarter rally gives Purde a 21-17 lead with 3:41 to play. Clausen makes another game winning drive to get it to the 2 with under a minute to go. On 4th down, he finds Rudolph in the end zone for the win.

Washington (W 37-30 OT)
Red zone ineptitude results in 5 FGs. Down 24-22 with under 5 minutes to play, the ND defense puts on "The Greatest Goal Line Stand in History". That's right, I put it in quotes and gave it a title. 1st and goal at the ND 1, we stop them cold three times. They kick a FG, but we get called for... ROUGHING THE SNAPPER!!!!!!!!! What? Has that ever been called, ever? I never even saw what we supposedly did! So they get 1st and goal on the 1 AGAIN. And we stop them 3 more times to force a FG. Clausen then rallies for a TD (Rudolph again), but the Dawgs come right back and kick a FG to send it to OT. We score quickly, and then they have a 4th and long that McCarthy uses as an opportunity to separate the receiver from the ball - and his helmet! By the way, check out the replay and look at the receiver's arms after that hit. Awesome!

Shut Up, Harkes (et al.)

The only thing more annoying than the US national team's play of late has been is the way their performances are being treated in the media (Jamie Trecker being the lone exception).

In the past year or so, the US has played exactly 3 halves of decent soccer - versus Spain in the Confederations Cup and the first half against Brazil in the same tournament. All of those halves showcased the typical American grittiness that has become the team's trademark, but they also featured new skill players that haven't been present (mainly because they haven't been given a chance) in previous teams. But rather than focus on those new skill players the gritty, hardworking spirit BS gets beaten into the ground.

This wouldn't be a problem if media and public perception didn't play such a role in sports today. Everyone is afraid to make drastic changes because they may backfire. So rather than trying to patch the hole in a sinking ship, they'll just keep hoping they reach land before they take on too much water. The role that pundits (and former US players) like John Harkes and Alexi Lalas play in this cycle is doing the team a disservice and miseducating the American soccer public. Rather than praise those who are doing well (except Landon, who's been on a tear of late), they heap rewards on those players working the hardest - those showing that American grit. The Michael Bradley's, Jonathan Bornstein's, and Brian Ching's of the world. Meanwhile, they continually criticize the better players - Dempsey, Spector, Demerit...

Well guess what? The reason Bradley and the like are working so hard is they keep screwing up! "Bradley does a great job chasing back there and tackling! He's all over the place!" That's because he just gave the ball away without any pressure in midfield and he needs to make up for his mistake. Next time you watch a US game, count the number of times one of these bums makes a blatant mistake and see how often they're called on it (on a related note, Bornstein's inclusion in last night's game after his performance over the weekend - or ever, really - is one of the most mind-boggling coaching decisions of all-time. With Cherundolo on the bench, it's the equivalent of starting Jim Sorgi over Peyton Manning. Except worse). Then count the number of times Dempsey or Spector gets called out for "not hustling" or "just not having it tonight". It's quixotic. The good players make it look effortless. They see the flow, take the right angles and positioning and, thus, don't need to run all over the place like a mad man to catch up to it. The game comes to them.

You don't see this often with commentators in other sports - if Collinsworth sees Peyton Manning make a terrible play, you can bet he'll call him out. Just once I would love to see ESPN use one of their European crews, the ones that handle Champions League games, call a US game. The feedback and information you'd hear would be a polar opposite to the regular crew. And you know what, contrary to what they may think, that's a good thing!

UPDATE 1: Gaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! Stop it already!
UPDATE 2: The sane words of a man who knows what he's watching.